So you’re looking for a pet photographer! That’s fantastic! I’m so glad you’ve chosen to document the relationship you have with your 4-legged best friend(s)… and I hope you choose the PERFECT photographer to make that happen!

I know, I know, you probably think I’m biased. After all, I must want to work with everybody, right? I’m a professional pet photographer, so I probably want everyone with a pet to choose me as their photographer, no matter what their situation/needs/preferences/vision/personality, right?

Wrong.

I love my clients. I adore them! And I think I get along with them so well because I was truly the right photographer for them, and that’s the reason they were drawn to working with me. I don’t think I’m the right pet photographer for everyone. I really don’t. That may seem weird, and maybe a bit counterintuitive, but the fact is, I have a unique set of strengths and weaknesses as a photographer and a business owner. Other photographers have other strengths & weaknesses – and the trick is finding the photographer who’s especially strong at what’s important to you! I’d love to give you a few tips on how to choose a pet photographer – and whether this leads you to me or someone else, I think you’ll be much happier in the end!

So let’s look at a few aspects of any photographer’s business, and hopefully it gives you clarity on what truly matters to you!

1. Photographic Style

There are soooooo many different styles out there – and you get to choose what really resonates with YOU! Do you like a posed, formal look? Something totally casual & candid? How about editorial, like it came right off the page of a fashion magazine? Okay, what about colors? Do you prefer natural, vibrant colors? Or a super-saturated, surreal world of fantasy colors? What about an entirely black-and-white photo session? And you should also consider light: do you like bright, blown-out whites, or moody grays and blacks? And how about the feel of the images? The tone can range anywhere from melancholy & poignant, to natural and even-keeled, to zestful and cheery!

The best advice I can give you is to look through multiple photographers’ portfolios. There will probably be 1 or 2 photographers whose work you connect with on an emotional level… and it’s okay if you can’t put the reason why into words. It likely has a lot to do with their style. And that’s different for EVERY photographer – each of us includes our own unique perspective in our images – so whose point of view do you resonate with?

2. Personality

The personality of your photographer is more important than you think! This is a person you’re trusting to bring out the best in you & your family, the person who needs to connect with you and your pets in a way that evokes true happiness. That’s actually why I love working with pets: they’re honest! They’re not going to put on a fake smile for the camera; any joy you see is always 100% genuine. So your photographer has to A) get along with you & your pet(s), B) be someone you feel comfortable smiling and laughing with, and C) be someone who can put you at ease if everything else that day has gone wrong and you’re not exactly feeling camera-ready when you arrive at your photo session. (Because although we definitely try to avoid that situation, trust me, it can happen.)

Think about it: are you more willing to smile and be natural with your best friend, or with someone you don’t like? I really believe that the more your photographer feels like a friend, to both you & your pets, the better your images will be.

3. Products & Offerings

So you’d like to work with a pet photographer! Great! What are your plans for the images he/she will create?

It’s okay if you don’t start this process with a vision… after all, the photos haven’t even been captured yet! But your pet photographer should offer the products that are important to you, and this is definitely something you’ll thank yourself for double-checking before making a commitment. Envisioning a canvas over the couch? Make sure you haven’t chosen a digital-images-only photographer! Hoping to add a few pages to your handmade scrapbook, or contribute a family photo to Grandma’s yearly Christmas card? Make sure you can purchase the digital copies of your photos! What about photos of your dog to advertise your business? Make sure your photographer is able to accommodate that, too!

4. Prices

What, you thought pricing should have been criteria #1? I disagree. Investing in pet portraiture is not something you do every day, so I personally don’t think it makes sense to look for coupons and penny-pinching deals. I use coupons for groceries and milk at Vons, but that’s because they’re everyday items, and I’ll need more groceries again next week. Plus, using a coupon doesn’t affect the quality or freshness of the milk, either. On the other hand, pet photography is probably a once-yearly or even a once-in-a-lifetime event, so wouldn’t you want to invest an amount of money that reflects the rarity & special-ness of the moment?

I’m a big believer in understanding that “you get what you pay for” – so if all your budget can accommodate is a quickie shoot with a newbie photographer for a hundred bucks or so, then go for it! But you should expect a vastly different result (and price point) if you work with an established business that values customer service, runs a real business & takes your satisfaction seriously. Either way, pick what’s right for you – whether it’s the Tesla or the Toyota – the quarter pounder or the Kobe beef burger – the Louis Vuitton handbag or the purse from H&M – I can keep going with these analogies!! – and be excited about the results!

This also applies to products, by the way – not just the session fee! I hope you never do a photo session without seeing the prices for everything you could possibly buy. You probably won’t purchase everything on the price list, but knowing those prices – and working with a photographer that’s completely transparent – is incredibly important.

5. Capabilities & Limitations

There are certain things I cannot do. For example, I can’t bring my studio to your house. So if you want a studio photo session for your dog that doesn’t travel, then you’ll need the photographer with a mobile studio! And that’s simply not me.

I know some pet photographers who don’t work with people – and some people photographers who don’t work with pets! Some photographers don’t have their own studio, and others don’t ever leave their studio. Some photographers work at any time of day, and bring equipment/lights to create great results, whereas I’m a stickler for the best light of the day (around sunset) and only schedule my sessions then. Does your work schedule only allow for a weekend photo session? Then you need a photographer who’s willing to work on the weekends! Do you have more dogs than the average family? I hope your photographer has experience working with that many animals at the same time! If you’re limited by your situation in any way – or if you simply know exactly what you want – it’s definitely worth asking if your photographer can accommodate it! 

That being said, your photographer might surprise you: my clients have often told me that they can’t visit any public parks or beaches because their dog isn’t trustworthy off-leash, and they don’t want the leash in their images. That’s when I get to laugh and say that I can actually use Photoshop to remove leashes from images! (So their dog stays safe during the session, and still ends up looking like the best-behaved pup ever!) So ask what your photographer can & cannot do; you might be surprised.

6. Willingness to Work With Your Vision (if necessary)

Sometimes, my potential clients present unique ideas to me: “I have an idea for a Disney-themed shoot, and we’ll go into a forest so my dog can be the Beast and I’ll be Belle, and then in another location I’d like to dress up as Cruella and my dogs can be the 101 Dalmatians, and then…”  Honestly, I have to applaud people with such a specific vision for their photo session. I’ve heard great ideas (and some interesting ones!) and I’m sure it would have turned out nicely… but I’m not the photographer for them.

Whereas my clients – my fantastic, amazing, trusting clients – often end up giving me total freedom to direct how the photo session goes. I find that I create the best results – and the best images – when I feel comfortable to take creative risks, when my client is open to ideas they might not have come up with themselves, and when we can just let their pets be happy & comfortable. So I suppose this is one area in which I fall short – unless your specific vision is simply to have natural, playful & soulful images of your 4-legged best friend.

My clients often say things like “I have no idea what to do or how to pose”, “I figure you can just do your thing”, “you’re the professional so I’ll leave everything up to you” and they let me worry about choreographing the photo session. And that’s my job! So I’m happy to take input, ideas & inspiration from my clients, but I also deeply appreciate their trust. But that’s just me – so I hope you’ll ask your photographer how they prefer to do things!

Conclusion

There you have it! Those are my top tips for how to choose a pet photographer that’s right for you. I hope this has been helpful, and you feel more confident in making your choice, knowing that you’re in the right hands (whoever’s hands they may be!). Answering these questions takes a bit more work up-front, but I think you’ll love coasting through the rest of the session experience with your photographer, because you know they’re the best fit for your family. Once you’ve made your choice, there’s only one thing left to do: have a great photo session! :)